Regeln » on ball security, but Helton also doesnt want to remove the excit

NAPA, Calif. -- Of the 70 players who made the cut in the PGA Tour season opener, Nicholas Lindheim easily could have been mistaken for a college kid who Monday qualified. He had a carry bag. He was not wearing a cap with a logo. He didnt have an equipment deal. He didnt have an agent.Lindheim, who turns 32 next month, is the oldest of the 25 rookies on the PGA Tour.And there arent many like him.The California native made it to the big leagues without going to college, and without having much game in the first place.I played my sophomore year in high school, and I was terrible, he said. Being as competitive as I am, I just couldnt put it down. I knew I could do it. I wouldnt say I knew I could play on the PGA Tour, but to do it competitively.The competitive side of him, not to mention the athleticism, comes naturally. His dad was a swimmer, his mother ran track. His sister, Bryttani, played softball at Florida State. Lindheim was into skateboarding, soccer and baseball until he threw his arm out.As for golf?Watching it on TV, I was like, `How hard is it to put a ball in the hole? he said. I just had this fixation. My play is more unorthdox. Ive been self-taught my whole life. Im just really competitive. Just get the ball in the hole as fast as you can.Turns out it was plenty difficult, though not enough for him to stop trying.He worked in the cart barn at Mission Viejo Country Club, then moved to Menifee Lakes Country Club in Murrieta, California, where he would play every day after work until he got better. He tried Q-school for the first time in 2011. He qualified for the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 in 2014, made the cut and played with Jim Furyk in the final round (Lindheim closed with a 77 and tied for 56th, Furyk shot 67 and tied for 12th).He finally got some status on the Web.com Tour, and Lindheim won on the Latin America circuit in 2014 and 2015.And then he was ready to quit.I thought maybe at one point this year I wasnt good enough, Lindheim said. It was my daughters third birthday. I was in Springfield, Illinois, and had just missed the cut by a shot. I missed an 8-footer on the last hole. I called my wife and said, `This isnt fun. I was missing out on life at home.His wife, Gracie, an attorney in Satellite Beach, Florida, told him to finish up the year and take stock.Lindheim won the next week in Utah and was on his way to the big leagues.Thats how crazy this game is, Lindheim said.Others seem more impressed than Lindheim that he was still learning to play when his fellow rookies on tour were in the NCAAs, the U.S. Amateur or the Walker Cup.Thats what my wife says, Lindheim said with a laugh. She says I dont realize the level Im at. I just expect a lot out of myself.---ASIA SWING: PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem was comfortable with two Asia tournaments in the fall when the HSBC Champions in China became a World Golf Championship in 2009 and the CIMB Classic in Malaysia began a year later.Now that is set to expand.The PGA Tour plans a new tournament in South Korea that will start next year, giving the tour three straight weeks of golf in Asia that offer at least $7 million in prize money. Yonhap News Agency said South Korean conglomerate CJ Group will be the title sponsor. Details, such as the field and the size of the purse, are expected to be announced Monday in Seoul.The event in South Korea would give players an easier option of playing two weeks if they are eligible for the World Golf Championship in Shanghai. Instead of an overnight flight from Kuala Lumpur, the flight from Korea is just over two hours across the Yellow Sea.On Tuesday, the PGA Tour Champions announced its first tournament in Japan.The Japan Airlines Open will be Sept. 8-10 at Narita Golf Club. That makes the second Asia trip in the history of the 50-and-older circuit. The PGA Tour Champions had a two-year stint in South Korea (2010 and 2011), and it was supposed to take another event to China last year until a factory explosion moved the event to Canada.---AMATEUR HOUR: A policy change on the PGA Tour involving amateurs has a historical footnote involving Tiger Woods and Matt Kuchar.Woods record of 142 consecutive cuts made on the PGA Tour would have been only 117 in a row if not for Kuchar. At the Bay Hill Invitational in 1999, Woods opened with rounds of 74-72 and went into the weekend in a tie for 71st. The cut policy for years had been top 70 professionals and ties.Kuchar shot 73-69, but because he was an amateur, Woods made the cut. He went six more years before the streak ended at the Byron Nelson Classic.Starting this season, the cut is top 70 and ties, with no distinction between amateur and professional.---LPGA PROMOTION: Madelene Sagstrom led the list of 10 players from the Symetra Tour who earned cards on the LPGA Tour for next year. Sagstrom, a 23-year-old Swede who went to LSU, won three times and had 11 finishes in the top 10.Among the LPGA newcomers is Nelly Korda, whose tie for sixth in the Symetra Tour Championship allowed her to get into the top 10 on the money list and join big sister Jessica Korda in the big leagues next year.Six of the 10 were playing the Symetra Tour for the first time -- Sagstrom, Korda, Ally McDonald, Wichanee Meechai, Dana Finkelstein and Peiyun Chien.---FEDEX CUP: The PGA Tour has adjusted its point distribution for the FedEx Cup to put more emphasis on higher finishes. It essentially uses a similar model to how the money is paid out at tournaments.What tour officials discovered was that a player who finished ninth one week and missed the cut the following week earned roughly the same amount of FedEx Cup points was someone who finished 31st at both those events. But in the money distribution, ninth place and a missed cut was worth at least twice as much money.As an example of the change, a player last year received 40 points for finishing 31st. This year he gets 26.5 points.---DIVOTS: Bank of Hope, the largest Korean-American bank in the United States, with more than $13 billion in assets, has become title sponsor of the Founders Cup on the LPGA Tour. The event, which celebrates the LPGA founders, will still be played at Wildfire Golf Club in Phoenix. ... Golfweek magazine reports that Lydia Ko has split with her caddie of two years, Jason Hamilton. She won 10 times with him on the bag, including two majors. ... Justin Thomas has pledged $250 for every birdie (or better) he makes at the Safeway Open, the CIMB Classic and HSBC Champions to Convoy of Hope, which aids those affected by Hurricane Matthew. Thomas made 23 birdies and one eagle at the Safeway Open, totaling $6,000.---STAT OF THE WEEK: Patton Kizzire has been runner-up in each of his two PGA Tour season openers.---FINAL WORD: I dont think Im a fast player. I just think Im usually ready to go. -- Bill Haas on pace of play.Authentic Shoes Wholesale . The parade and rally were held to celebrate the Saskatchewan Roughriders 45-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday in the CFLs championship game. Shoes From China Online .Y. - General manager Billy King says the Brooklyn Nets are looking to add a big man and confirmed the team worked out centre Jason Collins, who would become the first openly gay active NBA player if signed. http://www.cheapshoesclearance.com/ . Detroit and Boston are deadlocked, 1-1, and Tigers manager Jim Leyland could be forgiven if he was caught rationalizing instead of dissecting how his club could blow a 5-1 lead late in Game 2. Cheap Clearance Shoes Online . -- Charlie Graham stopped 67 shots as the Belleville Bulls edged the visiting Guelph Storm 6-5 on Saturday in Ontario Hockey League action. Wholesale Shoes China . -- Playing time has been limited for Maxim Tissot this season, so the Montreal Impact defender made the most of his first scoring opportunity on Saturday.LOS ANGELES -- Oregon is ordinary. Southern California is just so-so.Two down seasons have removed some of the shine from these West Coast powers showdown at the Coliseum on Saturday. For the first time in the 21st century, neither USC nor Oregon is ranked for their meeting.But theres still plenty of reason for both teams to keep fighting. The Trojans (5-3, 4-2 Pac-12) have a four-game winning streak and plans for continued contention in the Pac-12 South, while the Ducks (3-5, 1-4) are playing for bowl eligibility and a boost to next season -- and possibly coach Mark Helfrichs job security.Like I told our team, dont buy into this 3-5 record that they have, USC coach Clay Helton said. This team could easily be 6-2, and if you dont bring your `A game, youre going to get beat. We have to take this game as serious as a heart attack.The game also features a matchup between two promising freshman quarterbacks who refused to wait their turns to play.Sam Darnold will get his sixth straight start for USC, while Justin Herbert will make his fourth start for Oregon. Both passers seized their jobs from their older counterparts during the disappointing stretches of their teams seasons, and both have capitalized impressively.Darnold is the type of athletic, big-armed quarterback who would look perfect in the Ducks up-tempo offense, and the school pursued him in recruiting. The Orange County native made an unofficial visit to Eugene before committing to USC, and he won the Trojans starting job as a redshirt in September, usurping veteran Max Browne .Five games later, Darnold has already set USCs freshman single-season record with 18 touchdown passes.Hes just a really good football player and surrounded by excellent talent, Helfrich said. A guy that presents a great passing threat and a great run threat that really makes it go.Herbert pulled a similar trick at Oregon this season, taking over for Dakota Prukop after the Ducks 2/3 start. The first true freshman to start for Oregon since 1983 has posted a series of lofty offensive performances, even settinng the school record for total offense with 512 yards last week against Arizona State while the Ducks ended their five-game skid.ddddddddddddHerbert knows the USC defense presents a markedly different challenge. The Trojans have been on a roll defensively during their streak, most recently holding high-octane California to 24 points in a blowout win.I think theyre just an exceptional team, Herbert said. So regardless (of their record), theyre going to have a good defense and a great offense.Here are more things to know about the schools 61st meeting:GROUND GAME: The Trojans offense started to roll during an undefeated October, and it shows no signs of slowing. USC averaged 264 yards rushing per game in October despite losing top tailback Justin Davis to injury, while Oregons run defense is ranked a dismal 116th in the nation.COUGHING IT UP: The Oregon defenses best shot to stop USC might reside in Darnolds pattern of turnovers. He has thrown 16 touchdown passes in the last four weeks, but also threw four interceptions. In addition, he lost two fumbles apiece in wins over Colorado and Cal. The freshman is working on ball security, but Helton also doesnt want to remove the exciting, risk-taking style that has made Darnold stand out.ADOREEBLE: The Ducks are well aware of Adoree Jackson, the cornerback and kick returner whose speed has few equals in college football. The junior already holds USCs career kickoff return yardage record, and he leads the Pac-12 in both punt return yardage and kickoff return yardage this season. Adoree Jackson, getting him out of the game is a huge, huge key to success there, Helfrich said.CALLED FOR TRAVELING: Oregon played the USC fight song during practice this week to prepare the Ducks for what should be a fairly full Coliseum. But Helfrich drew the line at a simulated Traveler, the Trojans mascot: We didnt bring in a horse.---AP college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org ' ' '